I will be applying to grad schools next year(for fall 2016) I am a double major in physics and astronomy. I have good research experiences, and my PGRE score is 750. However, my GPA sucks. I have a 3.0. I might be able to get it up to a 3.1 at the most. My grades were good until last semester. But then I went through depression because of some family issues. So I got very bad grades last semester that really messed up my GPA. I have letters from my doctor and psychologist that explains all the situations. If I get my GPA up to a 3.0-3.1 and my last 4 semesters grades are all above a B+, do I have the chance of getting admitted anywhere? I was thinking about University of Maryland, UC San Diego, and other similar schools. Please let me know what you think. This is killing me!

Keep your chin up and definitely apply to a wide variety of schools if you can afford to. I had an illness that plummeted my pgre score and I thought that was the end for me, but it wasn't. Make a direct statement about your situation and include those letters -- this DOES work, members of admissions committees specifically spoke to this fact when I met with them. Continue to work on anything you can to increase your scores (could you try to increase your PGRE? this would help a lot). Good luck!